Officers arrested a man who allegedly strangled his girlfriend and shoved her to the ground in a “vicious attack” at the crowded Six Flags Great America park in Gurnee.
The Gurnee Police Department responded around 9 p.m. last Wednesday to Six Flags Great America, 1 Great America Parkway in Gurnee, for a report of a domestic battery.
Six Flags security called 911 to report the incident, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis.
Officers spoke with the victim, who was crying and reported that she and Jose M. Rosales, 19, of Waukegan, are dating.
The victim said the two got into a verbal argument about ending their relationship.
Theis said the woman started to walk away and Rosales ran up to her and put his hand around her neck.
Rosales squeezed the woman’s neck to the point that she could not breathe and then pushed her to the ground, Theis said.
Rosales told police that the two were in a verbal argument and that he pushed the victim but did not strangle her.
Surveillance video recovered showed the woman walking backward as Rosales had his hand on her arm or on her neck, Theis said.
Officers saw redness on the victim’s neck and observed Rosales to be intoxicated.
Rosales was charged with two counts of domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor.
“This defendant was in a crowded amusement park where families come to have fun and he viciously attacked his girlfriend in front of everyone,” Theis said.
Theis said that while Rosales does not have a significant criminal history, the fact that he was willing to attack the woman in front of strangers shows there are no conditions of release to mitigate the threat he poses.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Rosales pending trial and a detention hearing was held on Thursday afternoon.
During the hearing, the victim attended and testified that she wanted Rosales to be released.
She said that there had been “some” prior physical violence incidents between the two of them and that she would not fear for her safety if he were released.
Lake County Judge James Newman denied the state’s attorney’s office’s petition and released Rosales.
The judge said he believed the man to be a threat to the victim based on the evidence he heard but that conditions of release could mitigate it.
Rosales was ordered to have no contact with the victim and not to be present in Zion where she lives.
Rosales was also ordered not to consume alcohol or drugs and to be subject to random testing by pre-trial services monitoring.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 24 for an arraignment hearing.